Dream Star Fighting Marigold: Dream Star Grand Prix 08.02.25 Morning Show

Welcome to the Marigold’s Dream Star Grand Prix, this is a round robin tournament that is obviously influenced by the G-1 and Stardom’s Five Star Grand Prix. If you are new to these, a round robin tournament has multiple blocks (this one has the Dream League and the Star League) where each wrestler faces every other wrestler, the one with the most points (believe this one is doing 2 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss) does a tournament finals and the winner gets the shot and the glory. I’ll explain the wrestlers as we go on! We’re starting in the EDION Arena #2 in Osaka (not Korakuen?!??!) with 615 in the building which…y’know for a show outside Tokyo that’s solid. The Arena looks like every other multi-use space in Japan and a basketball hoop on the wall will always make me think it looks rinkadink, sorry. Anyway we get a weirdly house-show vibe as this is the morning show.

We get all the participants coming out and posing and they got a trophy, it does not look as pomp and circumstance-y as you’d imagine, anyway.

CHIAKI [0] vs. Seri Yamaoka [0] – Dream League

Background: So CHIAKI is a tatted up brawler in the Darkness Revolution heel stable, she’s got short hair, gear that consists of pieces of fur, leather, belts, straps, and otherwise solid Final Fantasy collection, she’s the Chaos Dark Wolf IIRC as a nickname and while she doesn’t win a lot as a singles she does have some tag-success and is more than willing to cheat and eye poke and hit people with chairs. Seri is a big-time prospect for them, very young (18 I think still) and still in her first year of wrestling, she was an amateur standout and basically immediately got a super rookie showcase with lots of big matches and moments and a long run as the protege of Nanae Takahashi. She’s got a multicolored amateur singlet and is borrowing some Nanae elements with an airbrushed leather jacket and a tasseled cowboy hat. Anyway, it’s athleticism and technique versus crazy brawling.

The Match: They dance around a bit before CHIAKI immediately goes the the hair and tosses Seri around before choking her in the corner. Rinse and repeat with CHIAKI busting out the Scott Hallf ‘scared’ fingers in a funny beat. More kicky punchy and we get some basic submission stuff from CHIAKI as this has been the Dark Wolf. We even get a crab after Seri whiffs a dropkick. Ropebreak and CHIAKI delivers facewashes. This has been a total slaughter. We finally get Seri firing back with some forearms as they slug it out before CHIAKI cheats again and gets a leg drop and cartwheel knee drop. CHIAKI goes for the torture rack but Seri fights free and unleashes a slap…only to run into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker that lands RIGHT between her shoulderblades, yeesh. Seri finally fires back by backdropping out of a powerbomb and then going for her own submission but CHIAKI gets the ropes and then goes for the IRON CLAW before a break. Rope running sequence into a Seri dropkick…and CHIAKI gets the ropes and breaks a throw by just punching Seri in the head and spearing her…and then Seri gets her own spear for 2 and some ground and pound. Double leg lift lets Seri run CHIAKI into the buckles and then she gets a waterwheel slam for 2, but she keeps running…and CHIAKI gets a scoop powerslam for 2.7. CHIAKI with a Claw Slam for 2.9 and she goes back to the rack and actually locks it in, but Seri flips out and gets a triad of Karelin lift suplexes and then a full-nelon cradle gets 3.

**¼

CHIAKI is a person I’m fond of but I feel like in singles matches her heat segments have a lack of intensity, Seri did the Savage formula where she sold and sold and sold and then she just kind of was alright for her comeback. That finishing sequence was slick though and deserves a quarter star. Oh, and I do want to praise CHIAKI for having solid if basic psychology and working the heck out of the back before setting up a rack, basic but fine!

Nagisa Nozaki [0] vs. Kizuna Tanaka [0] – Star League

Background: Nagisa is also in Darkness Revolution and is a weirdly super-tenured vet who debuted in 2006! She’s also a brawler who kicks a lot and chokes and dresses like she skinned a horde of furbies and also like she’d play Giulia in the Dark Side of the Ring episode about her. Kizuna is real young and is the daughter of Minoru Tanaka though she’s actually had a decent collection of matches. She’s wearing very traditional sparkling princess-y gear of white and blue and silver and is mostly in the fluffy pure-hearted young girl stage (despite having almost 200 matches!) though she does some of her dads stuff.

The Match: Hot start as Kizuna gets an immediate corner dropkick and starts throwing hands. Nagisa definitely deserves it as she’s been a bullying punk to all the younger talent on the roster. And we get the bullying as Nagisa kinda shrugs it off and goes to choke and hairpull, and Kizuna just slips away for a nearfall, but Nagisa is like “okay now” and gets a Yakuza kick and some blatant choking before we go outside for a brawl and Nagisa whips the youngster into the ring post and then curbstomps her outside (the deathlock one, not the jumping one). Back inside and we get Nagisa’s whacky kicks before she goes up for a missile dropkick for 2.6. Kizuna gets a series of cradles for nearfalls before a Fisherman’s Buster gets 2.8. Kick battle that goes really awkwardly before Kizuna gets her arm-trap cradle driver for 2.9…and Nagisa just boots her down, and then gets a short-arm for 2.9. The running low kick also gets 2.9 and I swear she’s finished with that before. And I guess a second attempt (that doesn’t have Kizuna kneeling) finishes.

*½

Look this was basically an extended squash. Nagisa is solid at the heat stuff but Kizuna didn’t look credible firing back or is an interesting enough seller to make me care. This did NOT feel like a tournament match.

Kouki Amarei [0] vs. Rea Seto [0] – Dream League

Background: So Kouki is a definite prospect for the Marigold, she’s tall, has some high-flying stuff and has a superstar look and presentation with lots of purple and white, short but well-styled and bleached hair, and the Amethyst Butterfly nickname. Rea is ANOTHER Darkness Revolution member, and their resident young girl, she looks like an evil goth doll with fishnet armsleeves and a big hime cut that’s partially bleached. She has black and white gear and walks to the ring with a notebook…with a sketch of Kouki in it that’s X’d out…okay are they seriously doing a Death Note ripoff in 2025?!? Oh, and Amarei was a former GHC Women’s Champion and had dealt with a knee injury that took her out for some time as well.

The Match: Rea shows off the book a few more times before the bell rings and IMMEDIATELY dropkicks the knee. Well…fair. Rea works the leg with some kicks and a stretch on the ropes and then a running dropkick that absolutely whiffs it, ouch. Kouki dodges another attack and comes back with a running boot against the ropes and then sells the knee (points for effort!) before Rea gets another dropkick and then an anklelock into another knee stretch. Kouki makes the ropes, gets a forearm flurry, cutter, and a falling splash for 2. And she’s remembering to sell the knee! Backdrop gets blocked by Rea but Amarei boots the smaller wrestler down anyway before Seto goes back to the leg with a heel hook for a LONG time until the Butterfly reaches the ropes. Rea back at it with a kneebreaker attempt but Kouki elbows out and gets her high-crotch backdrop driver and then a running boot for 2.8. Jumping boot (that looked OFF) gets 3 and Kouki goes back to selling.

*¾

Okay, this was…not great, but Rea actually was okay just isolating on the leg and Amarei was trying her best to sell and sell, she needs to do more than “oh my leg is destroyed” does move “oh my leg is destroyed” but gosh she’s trying. Kouki’s offense is overall pretty good at least if a bit nonsensical and eclectic but man she whiffed that boot (like it was almost a pump kick but she mistimed it so she kinda just stepped down and it’s like she booted Rea’s hip). Still, they at least both feel like they belong here. Fine match concept but just a bit too sloppy for me in the wrong ways.

MIRAI [0] vs. Chika Goto [0] – Star League

Background: So MIRAI is pretty established (despite being INSANELY young, only 25) and is the chief trainer for Marigold from my understanding, very technically sound, a power wrestler who will throw some pretty crazy sequences together, she has black and blue gear here with some dragon motifs and short blue hair. Chika Goto is another of the AWG crossovers who was recruited from the modeling world, she’s the tallest woman on the roster right now (I believe) and does some big power spots with a giant swing being a central part of her offense, she’s got pink hair, a jean jacket, and blue, teal, and purple gear of the strappy and ridiculous design. She has a pretty over chant/taunt where she points in various directions and goes “This way? That way? My way!” Okay the fans like chanting stuff, what can I say?

The Match: We actually get an honest to goodness feeling out sequence before Chika gets an ankle pick and goes for the giant swing early but MIRAI reverses and we get some grappling with the smaller but more technical MIRAI goes for some submissions and Chika tries to swallow her with size and you can just SEE that they are running sequences that they’ve done a hundred times in the dojo here. Crowd is dead silent but it’s not bad as Goto gets tied up while MIRAI obviously calls sequences. Goto gets armbared but makes the ropes and MIRAI stomps her down as she’s playing Bret Hart heel here. MIRAI isolates on the arm with basic stuff as Goto squirms and fights back but is pretty much helpless to these grapples. Good character beat by MIRAI who loads up the Stomp the Elbow spot but just leans on it instead and doesn’t pull the trigger. She’s a jerk vet, but not a heel. MIRAI tries a hammerlock slam but Gochika is JUST TOO BIG and stuffs it before MIRAI takes her down into more armbar stuff. Break and MIRAI stomps away in the corner again and then gets some chops and corner attacks before a Vader Bomb…before Chika reverses into a spinebuster attempt but MIRAI once again reverses and takes her to the mat and my goodness Goto is getting NOTHING as MIRAI is just putting her through the paces with a million fancy holds. Goto at least gets to use her impressive size to break free and then she demolishes MIRAI with a boot. Goto gets more stuff with a hip attack into the ropes and a boot across it. Goto’s body slam can’t come through with the bad arm and MIRAI slips away with an acrobatic reversal and they trade shoulders before MIRAI gets flattened running the ropes. Powerslam attempt by Goto is slipped out of and MIRAI rebounds a shoulder tackle that’s successful, but she gets greedy and charges into a powerslam by Chika who then calls for the giant swing…and MIRAI squirms to the ropes. More rope-running and Chika actually outsmarts MIRAI and dodges a dropkick which sets up a 10 rotation swing. But going for the cover she runs into a MIRAI inside cradle for 2 and a fancy cradle by MIRAI gets 3.

**½

Okay, I feel bad for this but the story was MIRAI is way, way, WAY better than Chika at technical stuff and just wraps her up and confounds her and Goto has no idea how to handle it…and well that story went through! Like it honestly is not how I’d book what might be my big giant character, but Chika did at least mostly win the power/size stuff, she’ll just get gobbled up by a technician like MIRAI. MIRAI is very, very good and shows why she gets some in-ring love.

Miku Aono [0] vs. Misa Matsui [0] – Star League

Background: Misa Matsui is ANOTHER Darkness Revolution member (my goodness is the whole stable in?) and she’s their resident high-flyer who was a babyface that turned heel. She was the Speed Star and went from all white and blue and silver to a sort of evil harlequin/Victorian harlot deal with puffy purple velvet gear and the line where facepaint and makeup kind of blend, Misa is fast and technical. Miku is a babyface that’s a bit less princess-y than others and more of a straightlaced butt kicker, and kick she does, though she finishes with a Styles Clash. She has brown hair in a ponytail and red and white gear that’s clean.

The Match: We start fast with some rope-running, doseydos and dropkick evasions before Misa powders LIKE THE JERK SHE IS! And Misa just goes back in and dropkicks Miku and tosses her and NOW we get some heeling, or uh…some stomping on the outside, and then a chairshot…in full view of the ref. Oy vey. Miku gets tossed through the chairs and choked. But Aono gets some kicks and they slug it out, Miku reverses a whip to send Misa into the ring post but Aono whiffs a kick and nails the post and we have our target as Matsui goes in on the leg and posts her. Tree of woe and a running kick by Misa sets up a figure four leglock, WOOOO! We get a reversal spot and then a ropebreak before Misa gets a rope-hung (or leaning) choke. Cross-legged fisherman’s buster is attempted by Misa and stuffed, and then a cazadora to similar results, and Miku gets some kicks and the hesitation dropkick before stretching her leg out and demolishing Misa. Matsui with some pitifully weak slaps before Aono demolishes her again and then gets a double-arm suplex and a sliding lariat. Look, Miku’s stuff is just alright, but MAN is Misa soft. And I guess she heard me as the Darkness Revolution member gouges the eye and then forgot she heard me and hits a pitiful flying knee. Woof. MIku is up first but Misa grabs a leg and they be clubbering. Miku goes for a high kick, MIsa catches it in a Stretch Muffler but Aono eventually makes the ropes. Misa uses her speed of a sorts to slip outside and hang MIku’s leg on the ropes and gets a kick in a very convoluted spot. Matsui goes up to follow with a 30 second delayed missile dropkick and then another Busaiku Knee for 2. Misa flies in to follow up but gets caught in a whacky spinning slam by Miku and then a sleeper she has to break. Running lariats against the ropes by Miku gets countered by Misa into a rana that ALMOST gets turned into a Styles Clash, and then a delayed tiger driver by Miku gets 2.7. Hammerlock driver by Miku is turned into an awkward victory roll/bridge by Misa for 3.

*¾

Okay so Misa seems DREADFUL as a heel here. I just do not buy her as being capable of, or interested in kicking any butt. Miku is rock solid as a budget Utami but man, this Misa thing might get ugly if she doesn’t figure out how to marry her various character traits together. Just tremendously weak offense and unnatural cheating do not delight me, at all.

Mayu Iwatan [0]i vs. Maria [0] – Dream League

Background: Mayu of course is a HUGE star from Stardom that was running mates with Iyo and KAIRI back in the day but stuck around and has turned into a sort of goof ace. Famous for her bumps, she’s this sort of eclectic whackadoodle that does sorta Americanized-Lucha stuff and crazy high-intensity bumps. Iwatani’s gear is shockingly sedate with a baseball style jersey and multi-coloured gear with a tail for reasons I don’t want to speculate on. Maria is from Marvelous and while dressed like a chola for some reason with bleached blonde hair, a baseball cap, tattoos, and a shorts and fishnets deal, from what I understand she’s a big-ish deal in her home promotion but I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen her work before.

The Match: Lockup attempt and Maria rolls through and does a Tranquilo pose and then some more modeling while Mayu gets indignant. Repeat except Maria powders this time and Mayu chases while Maria slides back in and preens and we finally gets ome contact and then a cruiser sequence that ends with a Maria dropkick. Hairpull and eye rake on the top rope and then a towel-assisted choke that gets good heat. Mayu slugs back but Maria takes her down before the Icon of Marigold goes nuts and just kicks the heck out of Maria and even yanks on her hair! Mayu stomps away as the vet is definitely irked, a few reversals keep Mayu in control with another kick and then a low dropkick against the ropes. We reset to a slugfest after Mayu can’t hit a fireman’s carry…something and they throw hands until Maria gets a dropkick to take Mayu’s head off and now she’s getting the facewashes and the running boot. Slingshot stomp back in and that gets a two count. Maria tries a slam but Mayu gets a German but Maria pops up dramatically for a flying boot for 2.7. Another slam attempt and Mayu squeezes in a victory roll for 3 and the bell rings, stops ringing, and rings again?

**¾

Okay, Maria seems good and she’s the most competent dirty heel we’ve seen so far. Mayu is still Mayu, she’ll be energetic and sloppy and take some bumps (though she did less of that here) and I appreciate her actually ripping peoples heads off when the heel got her dander up. Solid stuff!

Mai Sakurai [0] vs. Chanyota [0] – Star League

Background: Kind of a mirror battle as both started as models and then made their way to pro wrestling. Mai did it earlier and has achieved more success and gotten a number of gimmicks over. She’s also the White Belt (secondary) champion as a singles and has a pretty phenomenal white bedazzled fur robe here and brown hair cut with some braids as a tribute to her friend and mentor, Giulia. Chanyota was more of a fitness model and definitely has the size/strength advantage and is rocking purple and blue gear with a heart on her chest.Mai is in glimmering silver and white.

The Match: Both of them just unleash forearms on each other with Mai getting the upperhand before Chanyota shoots off for a shoulder and tries a biel that Mai…cartwheels out of (?!) and dodges a blind charge to set up a kick to Chan’s midriff in the ropes and then follows up with a facewash (popular move this show). Two count and on kickout Mai immediately transitions to an armbar in a pretty slick sequence. Ropebreak and Mai stomps like a jerk vet until Chanyota builds up some steam and wipes her out with a flying shoulder and then a corner clothesline and then a diving shoulderblock. Those shoulders do look good! Chanyota gets a torture rack into a slam but whiffs a sliding lariat and Mai gets a dropkick only for her followup to be snatched and slammed into the corner for more abuse and now the sliding lariat lands, Chanyota tries a brainbuster though and Mai slips out and gets a saito suplex, flying kick, and a pumphandle suplex. Mai keeps it going with a STO and then an elbow drop…that hits knees. Chanyota tries to take advantage but Mai gets a rollup into her STF but Chan counters that into a crossface? Ropebreak and Chanyota goes up only to get cutoff and they set up a superplex. Now Mai climbs, gets cutoff, and we get a super samoan drop by Chan and Sakurai rolls to the outside. Chanyota follows, rolls Sakurai back in and just paintbrushes her and lands another lariat for 2.8. Backdrop suplex setup by Chanyota is turned into the STF in the middle of the ring. Chanyota eventually makes the ropes so Sakurai gets a straitjacket STO…but Chan pops up at 1 and hulks up. Mai with a running boot, buzzsaw kick and low dropkick sets up something that Chanyota slips out of and gets the sleeper and down we go. Mai eventually makes the ropes but we get another lariat for 2.99. Jackhammer by Chanyota and then a back suplex powerbomb gets 3 for the upset!!!

***

This might be too high but I think Mai actually wrestled a smart match as she put over Chanyota as a strong and physical behemoth that she just ran out of tricks for. Sakurai’s selling is better here than in the last time I saw her on a big stage and Chanyota is still…limited but there’s maybe the bones of something there. Props to Mai for figuring out some sort of veteran tactician vibe.

Utami Hayashishita [0] vs. Victoria Yuzuki [0] – Dream League

Background: Utami is the red belt champion and of course probably the biggest deal in the company, she’s the Red Queen and a hard-edged, serious but mostly honorable judoka, obviously she wears a lot of red. Victoria is the big prospect that Marigold started with though I’m not totally sure she’s worked out as Rossy has wanted, Yuzuki has long blonde hair, and is wearing two-tone blue and white gear (waaaay overused colors in this company) and wrestles athletically and fast-paced. There are definitely elements of Yuzuki as the one that’s following Utami’s path of a super rookie they’ve laid out in the past.

The Match: We get the handshake of respect and the main-event lockup and standing grappling with Utami being stronger and Victoria being faster. And Yuzuki speeds it up with a kick and some rope-running that ends with her dropkicking Hayashishita out of the ring and going for a dive but Utami rolls back in before being flummoxed by Victoria’s speed who dropkicks Utami outside again and NOW she hits a dive. Back in and ANOTHER dropkick from the top get a two count. Victoria gets a chinlock for a wear down and Utami breaks as she’s just been selling, and I guess she heard me as she wipes out a charging Victoria with a dropkick and then reverses a tilt-a-whirl into a backbreaker. We slow it down as Utami gets a few slams and strikes as she’s grinding out her smaller opponent. Victoria catches a charging Utami with a rolling dropkick (man that move is popular) but Utami just smacks the taste out of her mouth and gets the rack slam. Yuzuki slips out of a suplex though and guess what? Hits some dropkicks. They do a reversal sequence that ends with Utami blocking a dropkick, elbow dropping Victoria, and the youngster nailing a Swerve Kick for a double-down. Corner charger by Yuzuki is turned into an Air Raid Crash and then a German suplex…that Yuzuki flips out of and gets a series of kicks for a nearfall. Backdrop suplex by Yuzuki for 2.8 and she calls for the finish with a wrist-clutch suplex dropped into a side slam and a running spinning crossbody that Utami dodges. Big German by the champ but Yuzuki pops up and gets back dropped on a charge and eats a bridging German for 2.9 with a very weak kickout. Yuzuki tries to get something going but Utami catches the boot and lariats her into the dirt. Hijack Bomb by Utami is attempted and Victoria slips out and gets her whacky rolling cradle for 2.99, and a second attempt gets 2.99, and then a superkick sets up a THIRD attempt that gets 3. Oh and I remember that whacky rollup is called the Rolling Arrow, neat.

***¼

So I didn’t really care for the early part of this as Victoria really didn’t show much, but Utami is like a metronome and kept the thing going, whatever else with Utami, her matches always make sense and her stuff looks good. If she needs to be the bully, she’ll be it, the fiery babyface, she’ll be it, the strong woman, she’ll be it, the insurmountable mountain, she’ll be it. So it was humming along and once the finishing sequence started heating up Yuzuki actually broke out of her funk of just doing dropkicks and came up with clever bits and pieces and her sticking to her gun with her whacky finish (and Utami selling confusion and disorientation being tossed around a few times) was a nice touch. Good match, good finish.

Overall kind of a meagre opening for the Dream Star as Marigold seems to be dialing back some of the production that made them stand out at first. Not a bad show by any means, but the small venue and underwhelming crowd does not make this promotion look robust in the slightest. Ah well, I’m enjoying enough of what I saw to continue forth, hope to get you reading some of it as well.